Box Score FREDERICKSBURG, VA – The York College Spartan men's soccer team picked up an impressive draw in their Capital Athletic Conference opener on Saturday at the University of Mary Washington. The teams finished tied at one after 110 minutes of play was not sufficient to determine a winner. The Eagles are ranked 19th in the country according to the United Soccer Coaches Association poll.
Match #10
Score: York 1 - #19 UMW 1
Records: York 6-3-1 (0-0-1 CAC), UMW 7-0-2 (0-0-1 CAC)
Shots: York 11, UMW 18
Shots on Goal: York 5, UMW 11
Corner Kicks: York 4, UMW 14
Saves: York 10, UMW 4
Fouls: York 21, UMW 14
How It Happened
• The Eagles had the better of the play early as the Spartans appeared to be playing back on their heals in the opening 20 minutes of the game. The Eagles fired off the first six shots of the game as they contolled play. The Spartans got their feet underneath them but the Eagles finally found the back of the cage in the 42nd minute. Lucas Turney had a throw in that Conor MacMurdy headed into the goal for the 1-0 Mary Washington lead. York got a pair of shots over the final three minutes of the half but neither attempt came on target as the Eagles took the one goal lead to the break.
• Mary Washington outshot the Spartans 7-4 in the first half including 4-0 in shots on goal. The Eagles also held a 4-1 margin in corner kicks.
• The opening 15 minutes of the second half featured more yellow cards (3) than shots (1) as the physical play was evident on the field. The Spartans finally broke through in the 75th minute as junior Malcom Djiki headed a cross from Ali Demiri into the back of the net, knotting the game at one. The goal was the first goal allowed in the second half by Mary Washington this season. In fact, the Eagles had not allowed a goal since surrendering a goal at Johns Hopkins on September 8, a stretch of 510 minutes of scoreless soccer. It's just the third goal allowed by the Eagles for the season.
• The Eagles had three shots on target in the final 15 minutes of the game but Spartan goalie Billy Bridegum kept them off the board with a trio of saves. Travis Gould had a shot cleared off the line by the Eagle defense with 32 seconds left in regulation as the teams headed to overtime.
• The two squads traded opportunities in the overtimes as both teams fired off two shots each in both overtimes. Each team put three shots on target in the overtimes but both goalies were up to the task as the game ended in a draw.
Spartan Leaders
Malcom Djiki: 1 goal, 1 shot on goal
Ali Demiri: 1 assist
Michael Unis: 3 shots, 2 shots on goal
Travis Gould: 1 shot on goal
Isiah Dorsey: 1 shot on goal
Eagle Leaders
Conor MacMurdy: 1 goal, 2 shots, 1 shot on goal
Justin Carey: 6 shots, 3 shots on goal
Noah Mazzatenta: 2 shots on goal
Goalie Comparison
Billy Bridegum (YCP): 110 minutes played, 1 goal against, 10 saves (Tie, 6-3-1)
Ken Kurtz (UWM): 110 minutes played, 1 goal against, 3 saves (Tie, 7-0-2)
Match Notes
York snapped a three-match losing streak against Mary Washington as the Eagles still hold the overall series lead 19-15-3 … York's last win against Mary Washington came on October 10, 2015 in Evan Scheffey's first season at the helm of the Spartans … the last tie in the series came on October 15, 2011 when the teams were scoreless in a match in York … the goal for junior Malcom Djiki was his first career tally in his 39th career game for York and it couldn't have been bigger as it allowed the Spartans to get a key point with the draw … the Spartans are now 3-1-1 on their big six-game road trip … York has allowed just three goals in their last five games … junior goalie Billy Bridegum continues to play well between the pipes as his goals against average is 0.80 for the year … Bridegum registered a season-high tying 10 saves in the draw … junior Ali Demiri now has assists in back-to-back games … York is now 5-1-1 on the road this year.
Up Next
York concludes their season-high six game road trip on Wednesday night as they travel to Kean University for their final non-conference contest of the year. The match is set for a 7:30 pm start in Union, New Jersey.
